Chair



(Model.)

B. E. KOKEN 85 L. BOPPERT.

CHAIR.

No. 243,656.. Patented (lot. 25,1881.

IINrTED STATES PATENT Prion.

ERNEST E. KOKEN AND LOUIS BOPPERT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 248,656, dated October25, 1881,

Application filed December 13, 1880. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ERNEsr E. KoKEN and Lotus BOPPERT, residents of St.Louis, Missouri, have made a new and useful Improvement inOhairs, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing bad to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, inwhich- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved chair Fig.2, asectional elevation of the chair, the seat and foot-rest beinginsection, and the parts being as when the chair-back is inclined from itsupright position; Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, details, being respectively a sideelevation of a portion of the locking mechanism, a plan of thelast-named part, a cross-section taken on the line 00 0c of Fig. 3, anda side elevation of one of the slides and Figs. 7, 8, diagramsindicating the movement of the chair-back as it is moved to and from anupright position.

The same letters denote the same parts.

The present invention is an improvementiu chairs having adjustable backsand foot-rests.

It relates partly to the manner of hinging or pivotingthe chair-back,and partly to the mechanism used in looking the foot-rest and back atany desired inclination.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a chair having the presentimprovement, and which, saving the improvement, may be of any of theordinary forms.

B represents the chair-back O, the arm; 1), the seat, and E thefoot-rest. The back is pivoted at b. The arms, at their rear ends, arehinged to the back at points above the pivots b l), and at their forwardends are jointed to the levers F. The levers are pivoted to the chairatf, and support the foot-rest which is attached to the lower ends ofthe levers. The back and rest being thus connected move together. As theback is inclined the rest is raised,and as the backis raised therestdrops back into avertical position.

A prominent feature of the improvement is the peculiar arrangement ofthe back-pivots.

Asjnclinin g-back chairs have heretoforebeen made the back-pivots havebeen arranged at the lower end of the back and in line with the top and.back edge of the chair-seat; or, if the pivots are forward of the frontof the back, they are level with the top of the seat; or, if

above the seat, they are even with the back. Thus made, when thechair-back is inclined the back of the occupant must necessarily slideupon the chair-back, for the body of the occupant turns upon an axis inline with the hipjoints, which are several inches above the chair-seatand several inches in front of the chair-back. Further, after thechairback has been moved the occupant must shift his position in thechair to bring his back throughout its length against the chair-back.

To obviate these difflculties, and to provide a more comfortable chair,and enable the back of the occupant and back of the chair to movetogether, so that the one shall not slide upon the other, and so thatthe occupants back is supported throughout its length as the chairbackis turned up and down, is the aim ofthis portion of the improvement,which consists in arranging the back-pivots so as to coincide with theaxis passing through the hip-joints of the occupant of the chair. Inpractice the position of the hip-joints is about five inches above theseat, and the same distance in front of the chair-back.

To this end the back B is furnished with arms I) l), which extendforward of the back, and are pivoted to the standards G G. The latterstand up from or are made part of the chairframe, and, together with thearms I) b, are so proportioned and extended as to bring the pivots b bin the desired positions. Then as the chair-back is moved upon itspivots the occupants back follows the chair-back without falling awaytherefrom or sliding upon it. The movement is indicated by the diagramsin Figs. 7, S, where B indicates the chair-back, D the seat, and l) theposition of the back-pivots. It will be seen that the length of thedotted line 3 is constant in all positions of the chairback.

To provide an improved locking mechanism by which the foot-rest and backcan be readily locked and unlocked in any position in which they maybeplaced is the aim of another feature of the improvement.

The locking mechanism consists, mainly, of two similar parts, H H, oneof which is (and by any suitable means) immediately connected with thefoot-rest E, and the other with the seat I), and the two parts H and Hare connected 5, to conveniently keep the slide in place.

together by the rod I. One of these parts H or H is shown upon a largerscale in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and consists, as follows, of a baseplate, K,having a slot, k, extending longitudinally therein, in which a slide, L,is arranged to move, the sides of the slot being beveled and the slidemade tapering, as shown in I pig.

he slide is furnished with a stud, l.

M represents alocking-plate, having a series of perforations, m m m. Itis held against the plate K, and by means of the arms m m, which arehinged to the plate K at m and to the plate M at m-", can be movedevenly to and from the plate K. When against the latter the stud lengages in one of the perforations m m, and while the stud is thusengaged the slide L is held from moving. To unlock the slide the plate Mis lifted slightly from the plate K. This, in the case of the mechanismattached to the foot-rest, is effected by the pedal N. The latter ishinged at n to the foot-rest, and it is furnished with an arm, n, theupper end of which, at a, is jointed to the plate M. By pressing thepedal N, which can conveniently be done with the foot, the plate M islifted and the slide unlocked. A spring, n depresses the plate M as soonas the pressure on the pedal is removed.

The part H upon the chair-seat is similarly constructed, the onlydifference being that the rod 0, by which the plate M is lifted from theplate K, extends laterally to the right and left from the part H to andthrough the sides of the chair-seat, as seen at 0, Fig. 1. By liftingthe rod at 0, which can be done readily with the hand and at either sideof the chair, (the bearing at the opposite end of the rod for the timebeing serving as the fulcrum for the rod,) the plate M is disengaged,leaving the slide L of the part II free to move to and fro in the plateK. A spring, 0, acts through the rod 0 to depress the plate M as soon asthe pressure upon the rod 0 is removed. The rod I is connected with theslides L L.

The operation of this feature of the improvement is as follows When theoccupant desires to change the position of the chair-back and foot-restwith his foot he presses against the pedal N. This leaves thefoot-restfree to move. Pressure backward on the back B then brings thepartsinto the desired position-forinstance, as in Fig. 2. The pressureupon the pedal is then removed, whereupon the slide L becomes locked andthe foot-rest and back fastened in that position. v

When the occupant desires to operate the chair with his hand, as whenthe occupant is a child who cannot conveniently reach the pedal, the rod0 is raised by lifting it at o, whereupon the slide L in the part H isfree to be moved, enabling the foot-rest and back to be moved asdesired, and, when adjusted, to be fastened by releasing the rod O-thatis, when the slide L in the part H is moved the rod I turns upon theslide L as a pivot, and when the slide L is moved the rod I turns on theslide L.

' It will be seen that the seat D is fixed.

e claim- 1. The combination, in achair, of the pivoted back B, arms 0(J, levers F F, foot-rest E, plates K K, slides L L, plates M M, arms mn, springs n 0, rod 1, pedal N, and rod 0, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in the chair A, of the plate K, having the slotshown, the slide L, having the stud z, the perforated plate M, thespring 0, and the rod 0, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in the chair A, of the foot-rest E, the slottedplate K, the slide L, stud z, the perforated plate M, the spring M, thearms m n, and the pedal N, substantially as described. M

4. The combination ofthe plates K K, slides L L, plates M M, rod I,foot-rest E, and seat D, substanially as described.

5. The combination of the slotted plate K, slide L, having the stud l,and perforated plate M, having the arms m m, substantially as and forthe purpose described.

6. In a chair having an adjustable foot-rest, E, the arm I, said arm atone end being jointed to a part attached to said rest, and at the otherend being jointed to a part attached to the under side of thechair-seat, said parts upon the rest and seat, or upon either the restor seat, being arranged to slide thereon to enable the arm to follow themovement of the rest, and hold and brace it at any desired angle.

ERNEST E. KOKEN. LOUIS BOPPERI.

Witnesses:

O. D. MOODY, SAML. S. BOYD.

